This Little Light
by stereocolors
Summary: Spring is ending and it's time for the annual Struggle Tournament to begin! Ventus' intense training gets in the way of him leading a normal, happy life as he is forced to live under Xehanort's harsh disciplines. He comes to terms with some terrible truths, and 'struggles' in more ways than one. ((AU / VaniVen; Please R&R!))
1. Dubiety

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for taking a look at my new Kingdom Hearts story! I've decided to re-write the Hetalia chapter I put up and change it to my ORIGINAL plan, back to Kingdom Hearts after getting a few requests to write more VaniVen after my one-shot gift for my Vanitas, found here. ( /s/8624423/1/Affinity )**

**I feel like I also need to go over the time frame for ****_This Little Light;_****  
Writing such a big story with so few (Can you believe that BBS only has 14 CHARAS?) is near enough possible, what with all the positions and side pairings and such. That's why I've chosen to merge all the games together but ****_REPLACE _****Sora and Roxas with Ventus and Vanitas. That's right, it's important that you as readers understand that Sora and Roxas would be five years old when this story takes place.**  
**Riku, Kairi, Terra, etc – everybody else are all their USUAL ages. Sora and Roxas are the ONLY ones affected by this merge of stories, and you'll find out why towards the end of this story. Pleeease understand;;**

**To reiterate, Sora and Roxas are the only ones affected by the "time frame change" Imagine Ventus and Vanitas taking Sora and Roxas' place - this is JUST so I get to use ALL the characters and develop the story further, thank you!**

**Also, this story has characters from a few games related to KH, such as Final Fantasy and TWEWY!**

**Warnings: Possible Child Abuse Triggers. M rated for Language an dark themes.**

**Side pairings (will be changed): Zemyx, One-sided AkuDem, NamIku, RenoXTifa, OlletteXHayner, (others to come, leave suggestions in your review!)**

**What else…oh! My influences include: Harry Potter (If I choose – probably will– to add the use of "spells" later), The Hunger Games, Mirai Nikki, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Siobhan's name) **

**That everything? I'm going to try and write a few chapters in advance so I don't have to keep you guys waiting for updates but I can only try my best; life is.. unpredictable lately. OTL**

**Enjoy chapter one of This Little Light!**

* * *

This Little Light  
Dubiety

"Can I ask you something?" A small grunt in response. "..Are you nervous?"

Struggle season was beginning. Audiences around the world would tune in every year to behold a sport – if you could call it that – they could never partake in themselves. That is why these tournaments were only open to those who lived on the Islands.  
Destiny Islands was known for its vast beaches that formed the crusts of thick forests and great mountains alike, as well as the foggiest of swamps; rare anywhere else in the world, but a few of the Islands were lucky enough to have them. And by no stretch of the imagination would a Struggle be nearly as interesting if played anywhere else.

"Of course I am."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Well.. wouldn't _you_ be?"

"Haha."

It was around this time of year; coming to the end of the Spring months, when the Island lit up with an unseen excitement. Everybody knew, and because the populations were, for the most part, small – everybody knew each other and had a connection to someone who was to take part. When Summer eventually settled in, foreign civilians would visit and crowd the cobbled streets with their rented vehicles, and since there were no hotels and few inns or anything, they would have to pay distant relatives a visit or stay with host families. Just to get a glimpse of the action up-close.  
For the permanent residents, it was somewhat irritating; for around three weeks of their summer the beaches and streets would be crowded and…city-like and that comparison would send shivers up most of the care-free and blasé inhabitants of Destiny Island's spines. Still, it was only for a few weeks. Not the end of the world.

"You'll do fine, you know that."

"I didn't say I was worried about the tournament."

"Oh?"

"..This'll be the first time I've seen in him in _three years_.."

"..Ah."

"Hah! You think I'd be worried about the tournament?" A defensive flicker of a smirk played out across teenage, pallid features and ochre eyes flashed over a shoulder. A slightly older, brunette and petite young woman shrugged with a casual smile as she remained seated, notepad on her lap and pen in her hand.

"You sound like you've been training hard." She commented encouragingly, lowering her head to scribble down notes on the yellow lined paper. "But of course, that's to be expected." She glanced up at her client. "You _do_ have one of the best coaches Destiny Island's ever had."  
A spikey mop of deep raven hair shifted and a hand came up to brush through it. Vanitas nodded while sliding his eyes closed and allowing his smirk to deepen; almost taking that as a compliment to himself.

"She _is_ the best." He stated, lowering his hand. "And she'd end you if she heard any differently." That earned a laugh from the woman and she shook her head.

"No need, I'm an avid fan." She kept a smile and raised both eyebrows. "I can only assume, from what you've told me, you two are very close." Vanitas shrugged as if he had heard this a million times before, eyes half-lidding.

"Yep." He took in a deep breath and extended his arms out towards the ceiling and stretched with a groan. "Like I said, she's like a…big sister or, cool Aunt or something." The elder put pen to paper.

_'Refusal to call T anything like a Mother, again – work on avoiding the subject.'_

"Uh huh, and you say she knows how to help you as well?" She questioned, peering over the top of her glasses with just one eyebrow raised now. Vanitas nodded, lowering his arms.

"I guess. She's not as good at words as you are and she'd beat me to a pulp if I stepped outta line too much, but.." He stood up, stretching his legs, and trailed off. "Heh.. I lay down for way too long when I come here."

"Well you can have a break from it tomorrow, right?" The woman stood, tucking her notepad under her arm and tugging down her plain white blouse before tilting her head a little. "You sure you're going to be okay?" She was answered with silence as the ravenette turned his head and placed his hands on his hips. He was frowning now. She sighed and scribbled something down on the corner of her notepad before tearing it off and holding it out for the other, tucking a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ear as she did so. "Take it. It's my number and you won't get charged any extra for calling across islands, which is handy. You can even come back tomorrow night after your assessment, if you feel like you need to talk." There was a small hesitation before Vanitas sighed and took the number, keeping his gaze averted as if ashamed. He folded it up and slipped it into his pocket and eventually, his golden eye-line met the woman's chocolate one.

_'Eye contact…..Good, Vanitas'._ She thought with a smile as she moved towards the door and stood to the side to hold it open for him. "If you need _anything_ you can call—just…try to keep the hours friendly, alright?" She pleaded with a chuckle and he smiled a little as he followed her and braced himself for an exit.

"Alright... Thanks." He nodded, his smile fading as he hesitated to leave. "Siobhan.. I keep seeing him again.." His voice quietened as he spoke, and once again his gaze was cast off to the side. The brown-eyed woman sighed and placed a reassuring hand on the kid's shoulder.

"What time does your Ferry leave?" She asked.

"Early morning; we have to be there for five." Siobhan winced at that exaggeratedly.

"And you said you got back around seven in the evening?" He nodded. "Come see me if you're still worried about it. I'll be here. Until then, go home and get some rest. Is your Carer coming to pick you up?" Vanitas shrugged, mind seemingly elsewhere. He left the room without much else to say and Siobhan turned back to the notes she had jotted down during that evening's session, and added one more to the long list.

_'Told me he's seeing Sora in his dreams again.'_

-o-o-o-

It was dark by the time Vanitas got outside, the street lights illuminated his way home. When he got to the house and closed the door behind him, he made no motion to be quieter or care if he woke the other people in the house up; because he knew she wouldn't. The only other resident in the household was sprawled out over the couch, face down and somewhat teetering on the edge, about to fall off the couch altogether. Vanitas dropped his bag and moved over, crouching by the woman's head and shaking her shoulder.

"Yuf," He whispered. A tired and drunken groan sounded, and the dark-haired young woman slowly sat up rubbing her eyes. "I'm back." Yuffie found the other through bleary sleep-vision and a warm smile immediately curled into her lips.

"Heeey, Vaniii~" She grinned, reaching up to ruffle the kid's hair rather heavy-handedly, earning a winced smile. "How was it?" Vanitas shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. Normal. Did you eat this evening?" He asked, raising his eyebrows a little at the seemingly untouched kitchen behind the couch then glanced back down at his guardian, a grin still in her sleepy features and hands still rubbing her eyes.

"Didn't really have the time, you know how it is. If you're hungry though, I could try to—" Vanitas cut her off with a shake of his head as he rose to his feet.

"Not that hungry." He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand and his chocolate-eyed carer smirked through her nose up at the boy.

"Bull. You're a growing young man, you need your energy!" She insisted with an affectionate drawl as she stood, taking a stack of plates and cups into the kitchen on unsteady legs. The younger could hear the crush of several beer cans being stepped on as the other busied herself with preparing whatever food she could find. "How is Siobhan?" She called out from the kitchen, and Vanitas shrugged.

"Same as ever. She told me her niece started teething. She's really excited." He swivelled on one heel and plopped down into the couch, the seat still warm from the elder's presence. He heard Yuffie '_Ah_' in acknowledgement. Vanitas' golden gaze then fell on the various cans and bottles strewn and scattered across the coffee table and floor. '_God, Yuffie..'_ He rolled his eyes with a short sigh and switched the TV on. "Any luck today?" He called out, lowering the remote into his lap when he found a programme documenting.. nothing of particular interest. Yuffie grimaced a little, boiling water.

"Nahhh," Her voice took on a comedic tenor, as if to lessen the news. "I think I was a bit loud for them, to be honest." She cut some chicken on a chopping board into strips and, by now, had mastered the art of throwing her voice out to sound more cheery than she was. She wasn't smiling. "They seemed like a bunch of dead-weights anyway! Who wants a boring office job when you could be out there having fun?" She chuckled, which Vanitas took for genuine, and she moved to the fridge to pull out some peppers to add to the mix. "I'll get 'em next time, though. I can feel it! Something good is on its way, kid!" She exclaimed with a smile, and this time she meant it that smile, even if her eyes were shimmering. She blamed it on the steam coming up from the boiling water, and added rice.

Vanitas sat up in his seat as his carer re-entered the room with two plates and handed one to him, sitting herself in the armchair at the end of the rectangular coffee table.

"Enjoy," Yuffie grinned a toothy grin and followed her own words, wrinkling his nose a bit. "Turn it up a bit, would you?" Vanitas did so, taking a mental note of the other's noticeably depleting hearing ability as of late. Yuffie thanked him with a nod and a smile. "How was school?"

"Dull." The younger poked his fork at his food, his expression matching the comment, then took large mouthful after answering.

"And training?" She watched as the ravenette nodded as if willing his food to go down faster so he could speak.

"Tifa thinks I might break the fastest knock-out time this year, no problem. She said my self-control still needs some work, but my aiming's getting better and she's seeing and improvement in my speed and strength. I cut thirty hundredths off last week's lap time. She's got me lifting weights." He said with a small smirk down at his food. Yuffie matched it with his own, wider smirk.

"Oi, since when were you and her on first name terms, eh?" She winked, teeth appearing from behind her smile.

"We're not. Master." He corrected himself with a roll of the eyes and shake of the head, finding no point in formalities when it came to coaching. The elder laughed heartily, seeming to drag herself out of her earlier sleepy and/or drunken stupor, as she watched the boy with an air of pride.

"My baby brother," She tilted her head a little, staring affectionately at the boy. Vanitas only stared at the TV; he never liked her calling him that because he knew it wasn't true. "You're going to grow up to be one of the Greats, you know." She raised both eyebrows and nodded eagerly as she stabbed enthusiastically at her food, stating it matter-of-factly and taking another forkful to her lips. "You'll enjoy yourself out there, won't you?" More of a request than anything else, Vanitas shrugged after a moment.

"Wouldn't bother otherwise." Yuffie chuckled again, ruffling his hair.

"That's my boy."

-o-o-o-

By the time 4am rolled around, Vanitas was already awake and had been for quite some time. He kept silent as he shuffled out of bed and moved to his dresser to get everything he needed for the day. He changed into a simple long-sleeved maroon shirt with a short-sleeved black one on top, black jeans and his running shoes. In his backpack he carried a more 'durable' change of clothes as well as some papers and his passport as a form of ID. The house was silent; Yuffie still passed out in her own bed. Vanitas didn't have the heart to wake her.

He left the house after leaving a note for the other in plain view on the fridge door, and took off down the street, his backpack bouncing off of his back with every running stride but he didn't mind. The street lights were still turned on at this time to aid his journey, seeing as the night starting to let up now, and the light of the sun was still barely visible through the deep blues and purples in the sky above.  
_'Today's going to be sunny,'_ he thought, as the harbour came into view, as well as a small crowd of groggy and half-asleep looking students.

"Heeeey, Vani!" A cheery and all-too-familiar voice sounding and a tall-ish, pale and lanky figure bustled his way through the small crowd to reach the ravenette. His toothy grin picked up the shine of a street light at the end of the dock as he slapped the boy's back in greeting. "Where's Yuffie? Didn't she come to drop you off?" He blinked, looking around back towards the beach where the dock joined. Vanitas shook his head with a roll of his eyes.

"No, she's asleep. I ran here." He said, shrugging the hand away and lowering his backpack to his feet to roll his shoulders.

"Ah well," Axel shrugged and glanced behind him at the Ferry, which seemed to carry its own luminescence, glowing with a yellow and an off-white tint against the navy and black water in this early morning obscurity. "You excited?" He turned his body to face the ferryboat and glanced over his shoulder at the younger, who just pursed his lips. "Oh don't tell me, nervous?"

"I'm not _nervous._" The younger narrowed in disgust at the possibility – he was completely confident in his ability! "..I'm just tired." Axel only laughed and shook his head, patting the other's back again.

"We'll get you on one of those comfy seats and you can have a rest. Have you seen Shiki or Dem yet?" Vanitas shook his head and Axel turned back to him, reaching down to take his backpack in his hand. "Wanna go look for them? Shiki said she needed to speak to you." He asked, casually looping Vanitas's backpack over his shoulder. Amber eyes stared off into the crowd and shook his head.

"No need, they're—"

"Vaniiii!" A high-pitched squeal cut him off before a blur of red flashed before the ravenette, and he found himself engrossed in a tight hug, which he struggled against.

"Get off me, Shiki, you saw me yesterday!" He demanded, glaring at Axel when he couldn't hold back a laugh any longer. Another figure approached the three from the crowd, following in his younger friend's footsteps. Demyx stood slightly shorter than Axel, and wore a grin, as if holding back a laugh as he reached out to yank the hyperactive redhead away from a very irritated Vanitas.

"Leave him be already, he's giving you _the look _again. You'll get yourself killed!" He pointed out with a short burst of laughter and highly raised eyebrows which secretly made Vanitas question if he was even joking or not as he rolled his eyes at the comment. Shiki didn't seem to hear, and beamed at Vanitas and Axel.

"I bet you're as excited as I am, right? Have you got everything?" She seemed the most motivated to be there out of the four of them, Vanitas thought, and despite how early in the day it was she looked as happy and eager as she always did. Axel parted his lips to respond but was cut off by a man in a uniform stood on the boat's gangplank, waving one arm in the air and cupping the other hand over his mouth to throw his voice out and get the attention of the students.

"Right now, listen up! All Struggle Contenders will be asked to show ID and then let onto the Ferryboat, and we'll make our way to Destiny Island. So everybody form a line – teachers and coaches, if you'd like to stand on my left side – and we'll get you nice and warm as soon as we can. Thank you!"

-o-o-o-

Once everybody was on the boat and seated and the engines had started up, Vanitas slumped down into a plush chair and rubbed his temples. Axel saw the uncomfortable display and broke away from his squabbling friends and took the seat opposite the ravenette, tilting his head a little.

".. Feeling nervo—"

"I dare you to say it." He shot a light-hearted glare, knowing the other would take the threat as a joke. Axel smirked through his nose and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"If it isn't nerves, what is it?" He asked, his voice fairly quiet and somewhat hard to hear over the constant buzz of excited chattering from students around them. Vanitas glanced off to the side, out of the small, round window where he could see his own island shrouded in a sleeping darkness as the sky surrounding it turned an insipid blue, and the morning light started creeping in. He took a moment to answer, and didn't look at his friend when he did.

"Ventus." A blunt and rather reluctant statement which didn't show much sign of wanting to continue the conversation, Axel took the hint and leaned back in his chair, looking over his shoulder at the two behind him who had now settled their differences and were gathering food from the buffet together.

"Are you going to come over for food? You can't have eaten breakfast already." Vanitas didn't look away from the window and shook his head.

"Not hungry." And knowing he wouldn't win in a fight with Vanitas where food came into play, Axel smiled a little sadly and slapped his knees before standing and approaching the lunch bar, only to be replaced with Shiki and Demyx.

"You _have_ to try the sandwiches here, Vani, they cut them up into triangles – it's so cute!" She grinned, tucking into her plate keenly. Demyx looked to Vanitas.

"You not gonna eat? Didn't think I'd intimidate you _that_ much _this_ early on." He joked whilst mimicking Shiki's actions, again, with a straight face. The ochre-eyed boy scoffed and sat up in his seat, resting his elbows on the armrests.

"What are the people like, there?" Genuine curiosity ladled his words, even if he spoke with half-lidded eyes. Shiki blinked over at her dirty-blond friend as she took another bite, and covered her mouth to hide her swallowing, then cleared her throat.

"Hm, well, the kids from the North are okay people-wise, but they're also our strongest competition. West play dirty.. they don't usually get that far though, they have a kind of corrupt coach, I guess….and the East island's no real problem, not a lot even make it past the preliminaries." She said the last statement with a smile to Demyx, and he smirked; no doubt there was an inside joke or memory of last year's event shared between them. "Your friend's in the North, right?" Vanitas glanced out of the window again momentarily, then turned back and nodded silently; not bothering to correct the word '_friend' _. "Well…I wish him luck! Northern's got some.. Old coach. Tall, bald, yellow eyes.. He's really strict, I heard – _plus, _he and Tifa used to have a _thing._" She held her hand up to her mouth at that last sentence, as if it were top secret. Vanitas just rolled his eyes and Axel toddled back over with a plate of food and sat on the table, noticing his chair had been repossessed.

"Is that that.. _Xehanort?_ Who you're talking about?" The pyro asked as he took a mouthful of whatever he had picked up. He seemed even unsure of the guy's name. Shiki nodded.

"Mhm, we have to watch out for the Northerners every year because of him. Your little friend might have turned into some heavyweight bodybuilder under _his_ coaching!" She laughed, and Vanitas found himself chuckling under his breath. From what he could remember; Ventus was _not_ the muscle type, but the image amused him greatly, even if the boy's face was blurry and unrecognisable.  
'_Wonder what you're like, now..'_

His thought process was broken when Axel turned to him with a grin, as if expecting something.

"…What?"

"I said; we're going to get to the final this year and one of us is going to win it, right?" He repeated, as if it were a promise they had made together long ago.

"Oh.. sure." A small nod, and Vanitas went back to looking out of the window. His island was a small black silhouette in the enormity of the ocean, now, only visible when the Ferry was thrown up by the waves. He had never liked these hour-long rides they had to make every time there was an event in the Northern school; he was already sick of the swaying and bobbing and they still had a while to go until they would get to rest on dry land again. Axel seemed happy with that answer and Demyx looked between his three friends.

"I've got this feeling…" He started, and Axel smirked.

"That's probably indigestion."

"No…" Shiki laughed behind her fanned out fingers and Demyx stood, shaking his head. "I mean, I can tell this year's going to be a good one." Vanitas pulled his gaze away from the window and stared at his mulleted friend, resting his head in his palm.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…Something's telling me it's going to be special. The best tournament yet, I think." He smiled at the ravenette and Shiki leaned across to nudge his leg. Vanitas simply shrugged.

"If you say so."

* * *

**A/N: There you have it! The first chapter of "This Little Light"! Hope you liked itttt~**

**PLEASE review guys, they make my week, and I'd be interested to know how many of you want me to continue this! **


	2. Make Me Proud

**A/N: Hi guys! qwq**

**Here's the first Ven-centric chapter, and I'm hoping to make these a little longer than the last, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Also, if you want a full note (warnings, side-pairings, etc.); then check out the first chapter since I wrote it all down there~**

**Now, onward to Chapter 2 of ****_This Little Light_****!**

* * *

This Little Light  
_Make Me Proud_

"Run _faster_, Ventus!" A man's voice hollered from across a bleak and otherwise silent circular track, forcing Ventus to slam his feet down more rapidly. "Look, you're barely _jogging_." He muttered to himself, hissing out his words as he clenched his fists and glared at the struggling figure that had, once again, slowed to a stop and collapsed on the red gravel.

"P.. _please_, can I have a…a break, Xeha—aa, ah.." Ventus winced as he felt a clump of his hair being grabbed, and he was yanked to his feet.

"_What_ were you about to call me?" The elder's glare bore a hole into the boy's head as he held him close enough for his breath to sweep against the blond's cheek, his grip tightening.

"C-Coach! I'm sorry." Smaller hands lifted up to try and weakly pry himself free and Xehanort wrenched him higher, almost off his feet.

"It's not school hours yet, I'm afraid, so I am...?"

"…Master. I'm sorry…" The younger let out a pained cry as he felt the hand jolt forward, pushing him to the ground. Xehanort stood tall over the boy and surveyed a clipboard in his hand with disatisfied eyes matching a frown.

"Two more laps, I want it done, then you can stop. Get to your feet." Ven gave a defeated whimper and pushed himself up with shaky arms.  
He bolted, his legs and chest burning as he ran against the early morning chill. He managed to complete the task but by the time he got back to Xehanort, he was finding it hard to _see_, let alone _breathe_. He collapsed in a crumpled heap on the floor at the aging man's feet and clasped a hand over his paining chest and breathed in the dry dust from the red track gravel. A heavy boot pitted against his side and rolled him onto his back so the grey morning sky made his eyes water, and piercing yellow slits could glare down at him.

"Get yourself cleaned up and off to class before the others come. You know what to do." Ven could only nod in his close-to-passing-out state, and Xehanort turned to step away before pausing. "Oh, one more thing, don't disappoint me out there today, Ventus. Make me proud." The man commanded, his voice taking a slightly lower tone as he left the running track and entered the school. The exhausted blond covered his eyes with a forearm, his chest heaving.

_'You say it like it's possible..'_

- - 

Ventus eventually made it into his school's changing rooms. It was silent there, the way he liked it, but he'd have to be quick this morning because he had been made to run a little longer than he had expected.

He tossed his bag over by a wall and stripped down in record time, happy to rid himself of his sweaty training gear, and climbed into the shower. He winced slightly as the hot water bore down on his bruised and gravel-dappled torso – probably from collapsing on the track outside – and washed himself, taking extra care around the randomly placed blotches of sickly yellow or deep purple skin. When he was done, the sophomore dressed as quickly as he had stripped down just minutes before, into a change of normal clothes for school, and moved over to the mirror in the restroom to apply his makeup.

He reappeared from the changing rooms fifteen minutes after entering; unruly spikes slightly less messy, still damp, bruises covered. He hurried to his home room.

The blond found himself drifting off within the first ten minutes of Home Room. It was just a half hour of pointless roll-call and registration the tutors of each class would carry out every day before their first lesson. The tutor – a usually loud, orange-haired man – was sat at a laptop down the front of the class, having said everything he felt he needed to, and the class were left to do as they wanted until first period. Ventus would usually spend this time talking to his friends or finishing off homework that should have been done the night before, but today was.. one of _those_ days, and he fought hard to keep focussed until he felt a hand shake his shoulders.

"Ventus, didn't you get _any_ of that?" Blue eyes stared at him, narrowing in expression a little when they were greeted with a tired apology. Kairi sighed and kept her voice low, almost whispering to her friend. "The Principle just came in and said that lessons won't run as normal for those participating in the assessment today, Struggle Contenders have to head to the track field to meet the other schools, whilst the others go to regular lessons." She reeled off the instructions with a slightly irritated tone and she took a chair from a table behind and sat beside her half-asleep friend. Ventus smiled contritely whilst nodding; always grateful for Kairi having such patience with his rather demanding sleeping habits.

He slouched in his chair and rubbed his eyes, vowing to stay awake as he was supposed to, ever under the watchful eye of the girl beside him; her concern for her friend hidden behind a mask of irritation. '_Are you /ever/ not tired?' _

-o-o-o-

By the time the bell for first lesson rang, Ventus started acting less tired. Kairi waved him off as he, Xion and Hayner left the room early to head to the running tracks for the second time that day. Once they had made their way through the halls, down the stairs and passed the cafeteria, Ventus spotted a familiar feminine figure standing by the glass doors leading out to the school yard, and waved over to her.

"Aqua!" The blunette turned and waved her friend over, motioning outside with a smile. Ventus nodded and turned to Xion who nudged him towards Junior.

"Go, Ven. Hayner said he wanted to grab something to eat real quick before we met the other schools." She explained with a smile. Ventus nodded and returned a thumbs-up he got from Hayner before rushing off to reach Aqua.  
Xion noted happily, after having been told by Kairi to watch over Ventus, how he seemed as bright and excited as he usually did. His fatigue in Home Room was now, apparently, a thing of the past.

As they found seats outside, Ven stretched with a short groan and sat down sideways on a wooden bench with one leg either side; his bag still over his shoulder, which confused Aqua.

"..Ventus…you _do _know we have the Assessment after the next bell, don't you?" Ven just nodded, a little puzzled. "You should eat now, so it settles before you have to fight. Knowing you, you'll eat everything fast enough to give yourself tummy-ache and that'll upset your performance when the time comes." Aqua guessed with a light chuckle and the younger seemed to wince at that; feeling babied. Icy blue orbs observed how he got visibly more nervous, and even started to wring his hands under the table. He was making up another excuse.

"I.. I don't… actually ha—"

"Aqua! Ven!" Ventus was cut off by a loud and unusually cheery voice, which startled him more than it should have. A heavy grip on his shoulder matched with Terra's toothy grin in greeting made him flinch, and he veered away from the grip with a half-smile, half-grimace that the other – thankfully – didn't call him out on.

"Hey, Terra~" Ven beamed up at the brunet as he invited himself to sit next to him, opposite Aqua, and laughed lightly when he felt his spikes being ruffled. He knew that his older friend always got so energetic and pumped when the tournament season started, and it was nice to see him so happy. The only female present smiled at the affectionate display.

"My, Terra, you're certainly happy today." She took another bite of her sandwich, eyeing the hand in Ventus's hair until it was pulled away and thrown into the air to emphasise the brunet's point.

"Of course! Today's going to be so good, I can feel it!" Terra's cobalt eyes flashed a competitive smirk and Ventus smiled at his friend's enthusiasm.

"Terra's going to win his fight, for sure." He encouraged with a sweet smile. "We don't know who we're assessing against yet, do we?" Both Juniors shook their heads and Ven lowered his a little, only to feel his chin be pulled back up by Terra, who was still grinning.

"No matter who _you're_ up against, I know they're going to get smashed!" The brunet explained, raising his voice with his enthusiasm. Aqua groaned jokingly, conscious of the looks he was sure they were getting.

"Terra…"

"No, I'm serious! I really think Ven's getting better! Pretty soon, he'll have even _me _pinned, I know it!" He jeered, shooting a grin at a rather embarrassed Ventus.

"Terraaa…" The blond whined, eyebrows arched upwards and lips curled into a self-conscious smile. Terra shook his head, having none of it.

"Nope, you're going to grow up to be one of the Greats, you know? You've got it in you. Don't act so modest." He pulled his hand away and nodded, averting his gaze to reach over the table and grab a handful of chips right out of Aqua's packet.

"Hey!" She shook her head at him and he just grinned and stuffed his face before glancing back at Ventus.

"Hey…where's your food, little man?" He raised both eyebrows, noticing that the blond still hadn't even taken his bag off yet, and it was unlike him to not be the first to stuff his face. Ventus pursed his lips a little at the use of his nick name and managed a meek smile.

"I…didn't have time to make any this morning, you know, training and all…" He shrugged and sighed in relief when the other two didn't press the matter.

It wasn't long before a small crowd had gathered around the corner of the school. Upon further investigation, Ventus saw that they were watching three mini buses heading towards the school from the harbour. It was _that_ time, and Ventus's empty stomach started to flip with nerves. He emitted an anxious hum, absent-mindedly, and Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Nervous?" He asked quietly; void of all joking now. The younger nodded, not taking his eyes off of the buses as they disappeared behind some distant trees further down the side of the hill the school was situated on, only to reappear even closer out the other side.

"M..mhm." He flinched out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to allow his cerulean orbs to meet Terra's own.

"You'll do fine, Ventus. In both the assessment, _and_ in meeting him." His grip on the boy's shoulder shook him a little in a comforting way, and the sophomore brought a hand up to rest on top on the other's, beaming.

"..I know! Thanks, Terra~" And the Junior pulled his hand away, satisfied with the younger's smile, no matter how unsure it looked.

Soon after, the Principle of the school stood on a slightly heightened platform in front of the school bleachers. He held a megaphone to his bearded lips and called out for all Competitors to meet at the running track, and the Assessments would begin.

Ventus's chest started to burn and he clasped a hand over it, slouching where he stood as the crowds around them started to bustle past to get to the track. Aqua was already up ahead but spun round on her heels and waited for the other two to hurry up, and Terra waved her away, letting her join with Xion and a few other friends until she was out of sight.

"Is it hurting again?" The elder asked, alarm clear in his features. Ven shook his head.

"It's not that bad.."

"Do your breathing. We'll wait until the crowd goes." Terra stayed close and the younger did as he was told – breathing in for six, out for seven – until the other saw him fit enough to move.

-o-o-o-

The running track, by now, was filled with crowds of gathering students dotted around, waiting for another announcement. Ventus reached the crowd a little light headed, and that feeling only worsened when he spotted Xehanort stood on the platform up in front. The man's brass-coloured eyes glared unblinkingly at the boy, and he lowered his head, praying for the assessment to start so it could be over with already. As if on cue, the same voice sounded, surprising the crowds into an excited hush.

"Quiet, please." The senior principle beamed with his own excitement and clapped his hands together; having abandoned the megaphone and swapped it for a microphone used for Tracks Days and other such sporting events throughout the year. "It brings me great pleasure to introduce this year's opponents to the school. Here they come now," He raised a hand towards the large entrance the students had filtered through a while before.

A young coach was first to walk onto the field; tall, dark-haired, not smiling. Ventus couldn't recognise which school the colours of her track suit were representing, but as a group of about ten kids followed after her - all different sizes and shapes - his stomach flipped.  
'_He's.. in there somewhere..'_ He thought, swallowing and inattentively stepping closer to Terra.

After the first team lead themselves in, two more teams with their coaches followed. Before long, four groups stood in an overwrought silence, and Ven could feel eyes on him until the Principle of his school alerted everyone over the microphone again; his muffled voice pounding out of the bleachers and stands and speakers surrounding the field.

"Anybody who is not taking part must sit out of the way," He directed towards the bleachers and gestured at the teachers and coaches stood either side of him to help move the spectators so they weren't interfering. "...And we'll begin. This year, the centre field will be used for fighting, one match at a time since we're short-staffed. The names are random. If you are not fighting, you are to stay along the outer edges of the track – so as not to distract – and we won't have any problems." He smiled, his grey moustache curling along with his lips. "Now, here's the fun part." Xehanort stepped forward and handed him a clipboard, and the man pulled up a pair of thickly rimmed glasses, tilting his head back to see the long list of names.

"Ah, here we go. Uh, Selphie Tilmitt?" A chain effect of turning heads led to a short brunet, eyes lighting up with initial shock, then a determined frown, and she nodded. "You will be first, along with.. Rhyme Bito." Rhyme got the same reaction; all heads turned to find her. She seemed less confident, but a hand resting on her shoulder from someone behind her reminded her of why she was there, and she nodded. "Come on up, you two."

The two young girls peeled away from their respective groups, Rhyme receiving a thumbs-up from her coach; the black haired woman that Ven had watched come in first. They silently made their way up to the raised platform, climbing up three small steps before reaching the principle. Ven could see how nervous they were, even if they both tried to hide it. They were stood in front of the entirety of the four school groups now, facing a table with their backs had been turned to the students so they could make their next decision without being persuaded by their fellow contenders.

"Selphie, your name was first so you get first choice." The Principle smiled and waved his hand slowly over something on the table neither Ven, nor anybody else not stood on the platform could see. "Choose wisely." Both Rhyme and Selphie's eyes were fixated on whatever was on the table with an unyielding concentration, and there was a short silence before the brunet picked up a oversized circular-based Hammer type weapon with a blue head and a golden handle. The base, Ven could see, had a metal plated sheet to cause more damage, and that made him cringe a little.

"I choose Strength." Selphie said without smiling as she lowered the hammer down by her side. The Principle nodded and patted her shoulder.

"Very well. Now, Rhyme of the South, what would you like?" She wasted no time in picking up a similarly decorated bat. Blue "blade", golden handle – only this was longer than the hammer and pointed at the end, much like a sword.

"Speed." She replied blankly, turning her head and managing a small smile at someone in the crowd from her school's group. Ventus didn't look to see who.  
Both contenders looked so young. Selphie, for sure, was a first year and Rhyme didn't look that much older. They also both looked as if they should be smiling, not concentration so hard on making the right choice here… but that was what these tournaments did to people.

Xehanort stood behind the table, facing the two and took the last of the three weapons away and placed it in a box the size of a violin case, before standing to attention again. The groups were ushered into the bleachers or around the red track and told to stay out of the way whilst the two girls where positioned in the centre field, surrounded by onlookers, and their Struggle began.

- -

Ventus started watching, but his palms started to sweat and he grew more nervous the more he watched them battle each other, so Terra pulled him away and they went to sit down. When a familiar redhead peeled away from his own group of friends and decided to join them, Terra raised both eyebrows at his expression.

"What's that look for?" Terra asked pointedly and Reno blinked, as if caught off guard, and waved a hand.

"Naahh, it's nothing." And when neither Terra nor Ventus pried, he scoffed. ".. Just that I've seen the _hottest_ chick here today. Honestly, guys, I think she's a coach; she's wearing a uniform and everything. A solid eight out of ten." He flopped down in between Terra, and Ventus and leaned forward, as if he wasn't allowed to take his eyes off of her, even for a moment. "Yeah… she's definitely a coach." He grinned, showing his teeth, and Ven giggled at the love-struck, or rather, _lust_-struck expression on the Senior's face.

"Only eight? That's mean, Reno.." The younger whined, tilting his head and keeping his smile.

"Yeah, I had to take a couple points away because she's from the Southern Island, look." He reasoned as he grabbed Ventus's shoulders and turned him to face the other way and pointed.

"You're about as subtle as a sledgehammer, Reno." Terra commented on the display with a chuckle, but Reno didn't pay any attention. Ven squinted, looking where the other was pointing until he saw the woman from earlier. She was turned away, showing the "**SOUTHERN STRUGGLE COMBAT"**,lettering on the back of her black and red track jacket. She seemed to finish talking to whoever had her attention, then turned to watch the on-going struggled between Rhyme and Selphie with her arms folded and Ven nodded to show he had seen her.

"She's pretty," He blinked up at Reno, who was now standing again. "I feel like I've seen her before." The tall redhead smirked, still staring.

"Yeah, I have too – in my dreams!" His eyes shone and he gave Ventus a pat on the shoulder before leaving without another word. As he walked away, he came into close contact with a slightly shorter blond and the two high-fived before Reno continued with his stalking towards the Southern end of the field.

"Hey! What's gotten _him_ so happy?" Demyx – a third year – raised an eyebrow and Ventus snickered, shuffling closer to Terra for his friend to sit.

"Reno's in looovee~" He teased despite the Senior not being present. Demyx took the offer and sat close to the smaller blond with a chuckle. "How was your ferry ride over here?"

"Haha! Reno makes me laugh," Demyx grinned and then shrugged at the question, reaching up to stretch. "It was okay, kinda long. They got the _best _food on that thing, Venven, you ought'a see it!" He rubbed his stomach to emphasize his point and looked to Ventus, smiling. "You should come down South some time – you still haven't visited, have you?" He draped an arm over Ventus's shoulders, unknowingly causing painful pressure against some of the sophomore's bruises, and tilted his head. Ven's smile dropped a little and he shook his head. "You should see our beaches. I don't come here to visit that often so I'm not gonna compare, but ours stretch out for _miles." _Demyx painted imagery with his hand motions, harmlessly exaggerating. "You really should come sometime, it'd be fun and it's only an hour's ride away." One look down and Demyx could tell that Ventus was uncomfortable on the subject, so shrugged and leaned more into him to hopefully lighten the mood. "Anyway, enough of that - anything new with you? You seem kinda nervous, kid. Is that because of your fight? What are you now, thirteen?"

"Fourteen." The sophomore corrected with a slight pout; he wasn't _that_ short. "And…I'm nervous about meeting…uhm…" He lowered his head a little, fiddling with his fingers as that anxiety flooded back and swept over him in waves. Demyx looked over at Terra, who took over.

"Friend. He's nervous because _Vanitas_ is here today and there's a possibility they could be pitted against each other." He pressed the back of his finger's to Ven's arm and rubbed gently in some random urge to comfort him. "But we've talked about it, and if that happens, Ventus is still going to try his hardest – aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow at the sophomore, who lifted his head to smile up at him, nodding shakily. Demyx just laughed.

"Alright, _Master_." He teased at the two before pulling his arm away from Ven and leaning back on his palms. "Relaaax. This isn't a boot camp." Terra rolled his eyes and looked away, eyes scanning over the edge of the running track; at all the people from the four different schools taking part in today's events. "And, Venven?" He cooed, turning his attention back to the timid blond with a soft smile; the type only _Demyx_ could muster. "Vani's _just _as nervous as you, I could tell on our trip over here. He's gotten really strong whenever-the-last-time-you-two-saw-each-other was, but I'll bet you have, too. And anyway, you should go over and talk with him! It's been years since you've spoken, right?" Demyx winced a little, as if remembering something. "Ah, but make sure you wait until Tifa, the couch of our Southern team is occupied…she can be pretty touchy." He wrinkled his nose and snickered, and Ven blinked, finding a small smile when he realized what Reno would have to deal with when he went over to 'get to know' her. He chose to change the subject.

"…Demyx?" He asked, swinging his legs under the bench the three were sat on. Demyx raised his eyebrows in response. "…Why do you Struggle?" And the mulleted man smirked, his hand running through his hair, laughing almost… _embarrassed?_ That was unlike him.

"Aha, well…" He glanced around, specifically at the Southern school team down at the far right side of the field. "…I got into Struggling because.. It's… because I like to show off, I guess! There are a few people I would like to prove myself to, like yourself and Terra…and…" Ven's eyes shone.

"And?" He urged, curious, while bringing his feet to a stop. Demyx bit his lip.

"…And a special someone, is all." He shook his head, discontinuing the conversation with a smile, which the sophomore didn't mind. "Oh, looks like Reno might need a bit of help over there…" Demyx smirked, amused at the scenario unfolding down the lower end of the field. Ven leaned forward to see Reno talking, or _trying _to talk the Southern team's coach but she seemed uninterested. "Look at him; what a loser!" The Junior laughed and stood, brushing himself off and holding out a hand. "Fancy a little walk around? We can go and stop Reno before he earns himself a slap, haha!" Then younger nodded and beamed, taking the hand and pulling himself up.

"Oh! Terra, don't you want to come?" Terra looked to the two blonds, seemingly snapping out of a daze and shook his head.

"Nah, I'd rather not. Leave your stuff here, if you want, I won't be moving for a while." Ventus stuck his bottom lip out a little before nodding and following Demyx along the bleachers. As he got closer to the other end of the field he grew more nervous, remembering just _who_ would be in the group of people they were approaching. His thoughts were cut off, however by Demyx side stepping in front of Reno and pushing his shoulders back as he tried to hopelessly to follow Tifa some more. Ven giggled, forgetting his reservations, and rushed over to tug on the redhead's hand.

"Reno, you're too persistent for the lady! Dem thought you would get hit if we didn't come to save you!" He giggled and Demyx smiled at the name. Reno just groaned.

"Come on guys, I'm close to getting a date out of her…" He whined absently, peering over Demyx's shoulder at the ravenette with a forlorn sigh. "You two are such killjoys." He joked, rubbing his face with his free hand; apparently having given up his flirting for now. Ven laughed and was about to ask if they could sit back down when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, his smile dropping.

Vanitas, by now, had been forced to sit down in a group of three; himself, Axel and Shiki since Demyx had wandered off somewhere. They sat on their bags on the grass rather than the benches or bleachers, not wanting to immerse themselves in the idle chitchat of the other competitors – they had heard it all before. This was Vanitas' first event but he was already bored of this waiting around. Assessments, he knew, would not be a problem. More of a nuisance, but they were mandatory, so he busied himself with surveying the field, his eyes narrow and his palms behind him in the grass.

He had spotted who he was looking for, and although his exterior was calm and none of the others would be able to tell, inside, he was freaking out. Ventus was walking straight at him, and by the look on the blonde's face; he didn't even know it. He looked so.. docile, so mellifluous in everything he did. Like a child. Even on his own school grounds he looked anxious – how could he have not changed _one bit _in all this time?

The elder watched through narrowed eyes as Ventus talked with his friends. He did notice some traits he might've recognised: the way the younger moved his hands so animatedly when he talked, the fact he seemed pretty loud around his friends, that smile… _that_ was still the same, even after so long.  
He leaned forward and let out a somewhat deep sigh, earning a look from Shiki but he didn't return it. Part of him wanted to go over and talk to him, but another _bigger_ part was telling him Ventus was going to hate him. Vanitas was nothing like him, and if memory served the sophomore, Vanitas was – to put it in his own terms – fucked.

Mulling over his options in his head, Vanitas found his choice being made for him when an aging and serious-looking Coach approached the subject of his thoughts. He watched as Ventus dropped his smile and nodded, pulling away from Demyx – oh, so that's where he went? - and Axel's brother, Reno, without even telling them.  
He recognised the yellow-eyed man as the Northern sports coach, and wondered if Ventus had gotten himself into trouble, and that he _did _turn out more like Vanitas than he thought. He watched the boy being led away behind a set of bleachers with a small smirk, and leaned back on his palms.

- -

"Hey, Vanitas!" The Junior blinked and refocused on two long legs buried under baggy, black track sweats. Tifa placed her hands on her hips and stared down at him, frowning. "Your name was called, you're up, come on!" She held out a hand which Vanitas took and pulled himself up, somewhat dazed.  
'_How long was I sitting there..?' _He thought with a perplexed frown as he was nudged by the woman over the red gravel of the running track and into the centre field.

Tifa noticed the youngster's confusion and stopped pushing him, spinning him round to face her, then sighed.  
"Look, you're gonna do fine, kid, just remember what I taught you, okay? It's not like you to get nervous. You didn't get ferry-sick, did you?" He shook his head, blinking out of his stupor. He hadn't even heard his name over the speakers? "You're up against some.. Pence, a tubby-looking kid from North or East; I haven't even bothered to research him. Take the fact that they put you against someone like him as them _mocking_ you." She grinned, encouraging the boy to try his hardest, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Now get out there and show them what _Vanitas_ can do!" She exclaimed, clenching her fists and nudging her student's chin with one, pushing his head to the right with a laugh.

The ochre-eyed boy batted the fist away and turned, rushing over to the platform to pick his weapon and Tifa sighed with a smile. _'Speed. You always pick Speed.' _She rehearsed, having learnt her favourite pupil's fighting style over the years.

She watched Vanitas take his stance opposite a very slow and very scared looking Pence and smiled knowingly.

_'You got this, kid.'_

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Introduction to a bunch of characters and the start of some hinted pairings~ If you wanted to know what those are exactly, go to the first chapter, I wrote them all down!**

**PLEASE reviews guys, I LOVE to hear what you like/dislike! :D Next update coming soon~ Thank you for reading!**


	3. Protect

**A/N: Hi everyone~ here's Chapter Three of my newest Kingdom Hearts story!  
Not much to say about this chapter, other than this is the start of a few little side stories that will tag along in the main storyline of this whole thing. It'll be interesting to see if this chapter is going to look too full come the end of it~**

**Also, I know this story is in early days right now, but I'm going to ask to ****_please_**** write more reviews if you're reading. They inspire me more than you can imagine and I haven't really been getting that many, which is sorta disheartening.. so write those reviews!**

**Enjoy Chapter three!**

* * *

Chapter Three  
_Protect_

_'Where is he..?'_

Blue eyes scanned the area as Terra grew more and more impatient. He was uncomfortable sitting on his bench alone with Ventus' bags like some sort of pack mule. Even if he had offered, he now regretted it because Ventus had been gone a _while_.  
The brunet had watched how Demyx had dragged his Southern redheaded friend to the corner of the track to cheer on Vanitas, and how Reno had peeled away from their attention to, no doubt, go somewhere for a quiet smoke away from the prying eyes of the coaches dotted around the running grounds.

As if on cue; Xehanort appeared in the corner of Terra's vision, his hands clasped behind his back and his slightly slouched frame bobbing with every wide step towards the Junior. Terra looked to him and the motion seemed to snap the elder out of his thoughts. His scowl fell into a false smile.

"Ah, Terra. I trust you are feeling confident for your performance?" His student nodded perfunctorily and spoke loudly, positively.

"Yes, Master." Xehanort's smirk seemed to become genuine at that, entertained somewhat by the fact that Terra always seemed to keep his manners and politeness even in the midst of an important battle. He observed the Junior's moderately muscled physique and grunted inwardly at his own misfortune for having to be burdened with _Ventus_ when there were students like _Terra _who proved themselves to be so much more worthy of his coaching, time and effort.  
He reached out with an absent-mindedly hand and patted the brunet's shoulder heavy-handedly, shaking in his words.

"You'll do well. Don't let me down." Again, more of a command than encouragement but Terra looked past that. He was used to get praise – if you could call it that – from the Northern Coach, more so than anybody else on the team. He nodded and Xehanort was gone before he could answer.  
His eyes didn't follow his Master. Instead, his gaze shot over the far side of the track where, stood in their own little group which had peeled away from the main clumps of eager students, where the majority of the West Island's Struggle Combat team.  
A silver haired figure rounded in Terra's direction and – as if he knew they had been the subject of the Northerner's observations for quite some time now – waved him over.

-o-

Ventus appeared from out behind the bleachers a few minutes after Xehanort had. He had just received a stern talking to, and had been told to focus more on preparing for his assessment and not what his friends were doing. The blond knew it was in his best interests to listen to that 'advice', and so he stayed rather out of sight and leaned his lesser-bruised shoulder against the metal scaffolding of the bleachers.

He surveyed the field, taking note of where everybody he knew was so he wouldn't have to work to avoid them. He was shaking; the Master's _talks_ never really got any easier to recover from, even after so many years of being exposed to his punitive words and exacting dissatisfactions, but he shook the thoughts from his mind and let his stare land on the new match that must've just started up.

Two figures battled it out in the centre area of the field. Through the surrounding blare of the audiences' idle conversations and –every once in a while – cheering, he could recognise the seemingly lesser-able of the two fighters. Pence… uh, he wasn't sure of his second name. They had only really conversed a few times and that was last year, when they were both freshmen, and the Tournament had been held in Pence's school – the East Island. He watched as the East-Islander struggled to even keep track of where his opponent was. His eyes darting around, his head constantly turning, his feet seemingly fixated… The East island had never really been… well, _good_ at these battles, but Ven cheered them on anyway, and would encourage dark-haired boy to try again next year.

When Ventus caught sight of who Pence was battling, he felt a jump in his chest and immediately gripped the metal pole he was leaning against tighter.  
Deep shadowy hair, flavescent eyes and movements quick enough to blur… Vanitas made it look like so easy, these Struggles; like they were more of a game to him.

It was scarcely three seconds after Ventus had spotted the ravenette that he lunged forward and delivered a painful blow to the East-islander's chest which proved enough to propel him backwards like he was nothing. The Southerner kept his stance for little more than a second before straightening up as the match was announced '_over by loss of consciousness'_, only to be tackled by a very happy-sounding Demyx and patted on the shoulder by a tall redhead with tattoos under his eyes.  
As Vanitas shoved the blonde's chest and knocked the taller of the three's hand away, Ventus chose to turn his gaze elsewhere before he caught the other's attention. He bit his lip and stepped towards the field but immediately turned and started to make his down to his first seat from before, with Terra, if he was still there.  
He kept his head low and angled away and stared at the ground; only noticing footsteps in front of him a split second before he felt his body come into contact with another.

"S-Sorry, I.." He trailed off when he recognised the shorter blond straight away. Rhyme, the girl from the first battle, looked up at him with an apologetic smile and raised her palms.

"Oh, no, it was nothing, it's okay! I wasn't looking where I was going~" She scratched the back of her head, her black beanie hat shifting with her fingers. Ventus smiled and crouched down to below her level.

"I saw you during your Struggle, you were really great out there." He nodded along his words and she giggled. "I'm Ventus, where'd you learn to fight like that?" He tilted his head a little at her beaming expression before she turned to point behind her, at a taller and more robust figure slowly approaching.

"I learned everything I know from my big brother, Beat! He told me I would win, no problem, and I did!" She seemed proud and only got happier as the capped male reached behind her, his expression was frowning and intimidating. Ventus stood up and offered a meek smile.

"H-Hey there, I was just congra—"

"Yo, Rhyme, let's go."

"But Beat, I-" He scoffed and continued on, practically storming off, and knocked Ventus' shoulder as he went past. Rhyme shrugged with another of her apologetic smiles and followed in his footsteps with a light wave. "Bye, Ventus. Good luck for your Struggle!" And she scurried off, leaving the sophomore waving after her before he turned to continue his walk to the bench with his bags, rubbing his shoulder.

It wasn't long before he reached said bench and looked around, scratching his head_. Said bench_ was extremely empty; the only thing that had been left on it was Ventus' bag – no Terra, nothing. He hardly had time to look for the brunet before he heard the familiar static over the microphone and an announcement which stopped his search in its tracks.

"Ventus Loza-Zackery, you're up next. Approach the stand to choose your weapon!"

-o-o-o-

"Hey, Vani! Shiki and I are heading over to this place's cafeteria to get some ice cream, you coming?" Axel waved to an eager redhead, who had already started to make her way to the main building and was growing impatient. When he was answered with silence, the fiery Junior turned back over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Vanitas?"

Vanitas stood with his back to Axel and the Southern team as a group. His arms were folded and his feet were planted firmly on the grass with no intent of moving any time soon. Axel wandered over; leaning down a bit to follow the other's stare and was directed to the Struggle match taking place at that moment.  
"..Oh."

He almost felt Vanitas taking in breaths beside him as he watched, an absent frown plastered across his face as Axel's offers fell on practically deaf ears.  
Ventus was up against a taller, stronger-looking silverette and what was worse; he was from the West Island. If Shiki's gossip stories were anything to go by, they were bad news and although the ravenette wasn't quite sure _why_, he couldn't look away from the fight taking place.  
Axel let out a humourless laugh after realizing something.

"What is he _doing_ out there!" Vanitas peeled his attention away to aim a glare up at the redheaded Junior which begged for elaboration, so Axel complied with a smirk and frustrated motions with his hands. "That kid's going to get himself _killed _out there making dumbass choices like that. Picking a _Bat_ over Nunchucks? He should know by now not to get within a two metre radius of _those_ bad boys and what does he do? Pick a close-range weapon. Ha! I give him another minute before he's out cold." Vanitas didn't want to hear any more and turned back to the field, re-tightening his folded arms as Axel slung one of his own over his friend's shoulders.  
"Look, Vani, Blondie out there doesn't stand a chance, and even if –God forbid – he _does_ manage to steal a win, how long's he going to survive in this Tournament? I mean, _look at him_." The shorter Junior knocked the arm away and grit his teeth, unsure of why Axel poking fun at Ventus was getting him so angry.  
Axel only shook his head with a knowing smirk and turned to answer a fairly irritated and impatient Shiki.  
"I'm just sayin'. It's like watching Bambi on Ice out there."

-o-

Ventus almost lost his balance as he felt his body being shoved back and his feet skid across the dirt, making tracks. He quickly guarded against an attack which lapped into three more assaults; one connecting with his forearm with enough force to bruise later. He took advantage of the split second gap between the next barrage of hits and ran, using his speed to create distance between himself and the other.

His opponent's name – he had missed the announcement but he had learned by the cheers and encouragement from the West Island's team – was Yazoo, and Ventus knew _nothing_ of this person's fighting style. Yazoo had picked the last of the three weapons available – two separate golden and forked handles connected by a blue and malleable chain that could be extended up to two metres in length. In training, Ventus had learned to counter every one of the weapons and knew that the _Nunchucks _were best avoided in battle. He was at a disadvantage and he knew he would be punished for his choice later.

Each of the three weapons had pros and cons; the Hammer was the Strength weapon. It would do well against the Nunchucks but would leave the Struggler wide open for swift slices from a Bat. The Nunchucks were best for pinning opponents and worked best against the Bat, which would easily tangle in the chain the forked ends of the handles and leave the Struggler susceptible to being pinned whilst defenceless. It was a game of rock, paper, scissors, when it came down to it. And, sticking to what he knew best, Ventus gripped his Bat handle and kept a two-and-a-half-metre distance between himself and Yazoo, who was sporting a childish grin.

"What's wrong, little one, _scared_?" He smirked, arms motioning vividly as if including his audience, who encouraged his mocking. Ventus only kept a glare and countered his advances with backwards steps. "I would be too. Don't worry, I'm sure your _mommy_ will be proud that you at least got this far." The blonde's eyes flashed.

_'He's doing it, too.'_

"I'll make it easy for you. Why don't you just let the more _capable_ Struggler win so you can run on home in time for dinner?"

_'..He's doing what Terra and Aqua always do. And Everyone.'_

"..I'm _not_ a little kid!"  
Ventus sprang forward, Bat in hand, and lunged at the Westerner. He kept his grip low to allow adequate swing and his back arched for mobility as he circled round the silverette's side in a second and raised his weapon to strike.  
What he missed in all this, was Yazoo stretching his arms and lengthening his chain, which he then shot out to encase the blonde's arms in a locked position. Ventus was spun round so his back was to the other and felt a piercing pain shoot up from his left foot and took in a sharp breath. Yazoo whispered close to his ear. Ventus could _feel_ his smirk even over the roars of the Western Island's competitors.

"You should've guessed you were outmatched from the star-.." He trailed off and Ventus blinked. Yazoo's attention was directed towards his team now, at one of the members in particular.

Kadaj stood without smiling and kept a lowered hand motioning a "no" and Yazoo immediately retracted his chain, setting Ventus free.

The sophomore gladly took the opportunity to swoop down for his Bat, round in on his opponent and strike his chest, _hard._  
Yazoo fell backwards and the blond was close behind. Unsure of how he had even gotten out of that hold, he slammed one knee with all his weight down on the silverette's chest and pitted the 'blade' of the Bat against his neck, glaring down in his confusion as the timer started.

Three electric bleeps and it was over.  
The Northern, Southern _and_ Eastern teams erupted into cheer; all having come to an anti-West truce over the years of falling victim to their _tactics.  
_Yazoo didn't move to get up from his pinned-down position straight away, which left a window for Ventus to question.

"Why didn't you.. pin me?" He enquired pointedly, slowly pulling the Bat away from his neck so he could talk. Yazoo only smirked and pushed against the sophomore's chest to get him off.

"Team Leader's orders, kiddo. What, you really thought you had a chance out here?" He shrugged sarcastically whilst standing and quickly made his leave, triggering a disordered glare from the younger as he was left in the dust in more ways than one.

-o-

Vanitas felt his chest finally deflate as Ventus was declared the winner of his assessment match. He made quick work of hiding his relief by turning away from the field and dipping down to throw his bag over his shoulder. He didn't intend on staying here for the blonde's celebration. If he got to the Ferry now, he'd still have time to see Siobhan before getting back to Yuffie.  
As if she knew he wasn't planning on staying, Shiki skipped back into view on the far side of the pitch and waved with her unoccupied hand, signalling for Vanitas to stay where he was as she hurried over, Axel dragging his feet behind.

A loud call from behind him made the ravenette startle a little but he swiftly regained his composure as he turned to see Demyx shouting over to the two redheads, his hands cupped round his mouth to throw his voice out.

"Shiki, Ax! Get over here!" He lowered his hands and grinned, reaching over to tug on Vanitas' arm. "Come congratulate the winner! This is your chance to talk to him!" He encouraged, meaning Ventus. Vanitas just narrowed his eyes and yanked his arm back and kept his back to the field without a word.  
By now, Shiki had almost reached them and Axel had given up trying to run to catch up to her in favour of eating his blue-tinted ice cream before it melted in the Island's heat. Demyx only shrugged at the ravenette's attitude and ran back into the centre field, gesturing for Shiki to follow him, to join in with a small group that had formed around a very bewildered blond.

"Ven!" The mulleted Junior clapped him happily on the back, earning a winced smile. "You did great out there, buddy!" Ventus shrugged his thanks and his attention was quickly fought for. Xion had come over with Namine and Kairi, meaning either the two had both skipped their lessons to come out here and watch the matches, or it was lunch time already. Reno had also made his way over, ruffling the blonde's spikes with a chuckle and a joke about placing money on him. They each hugged and patted and cheered him on and it reminded him of why he did this. Not because of Xehanort's forceful training or expectations, but this… proving himself and showing that he _wasn't_ a little kid anymore – he_ could_ do this.

"Heh, thanks guys, but really it was nothing." He laughed a little nervously and reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head. Reno scoffed disapprovingly and the girls squabbled a counter, determined to convince him otherwise. Ventus couldn't help but feeling, however, a little disheartened. His opponent _had_ had him in a lock and _should _have pinned him…why didn't he? Why did he let him win so easily?

He shook the questions from his thoughts and peered over Kairi's left shoulder, at the Principle's stand where Xehanort stood beside the bearded man with his hands held behind his back again, staring. He knew what that look meant.

"I should probably go to see the Master, see how I did.." He took one step back and grimaced, almost falling over before Demyx caught him by the arm.

"Hey, you okay, Venven? You hurt yourself?" Ventus shook his head and ignored the throbbing in his ankle. Probably a sprain from the fight. He pulled out of the Junior's grip and turned to the stand.

"I'll be fine, it's nothing. I'll be back soon, don't worry." He flashed a smile and Demyx believed him somewhat reluctantly as he turned back to the group with a shrug and a casual wave. Ventus felt his smile slowly slipping away as he limped towards the platform, and towards Xehanort – who looked as irritated and serious as ever.

-o-

"So, tell me again _why_ I had to give up my win to that scrawny brat?" Yazoo wasn't impressed. His question was aimed at the one who had caused the loss. Kadaj was smirking.

"Be patient, Brother. I was merely planning ahead." Kadaj's smile made Terra shudder and he stayed put as the silver-haired Westerner stood and circled around him slowly. "I just wanted to set up a little test to make sure we could trust our new friend, here." The brunet frowned uncomfortably and Kadaj stopped when he reached the front of him again, that smirk still evident across his features. "That _scrawny brat_, as Yazoo put it, is clearly very important to you, isn't he? I guess it's only right for you to choose."  
Terra's glare was locked in eye contact with the silverette, blue orbs meeting turquoise in a silent dispute. "Him," Kadaj broke the connection, stepping back towards his group with Yazoo and the third of the brothers, Loz, either side of him. "Or us."

None of them expected Terra to give an answer right then and there, but they all knew what he would say if they did. The brunet's encounters with these three had grown more and more frequent and he had already noticed a change in himself because of them, he was becoming more like them. And what was worse was he didn't _mind _that. In fact, he accepted it, he just didn't like this acceptance being brought to attention like some kind of weakness, so he didn't answer.

Terra turned away from the group and was met with a set of concerned blue eyes, matched with a frown.

"Terra?" Aqua folded her arms and glanced behind her classmate, raising her eyebrow accusingly. "What are you.. doing here with _them_?" The brunet found himself at a loss for words and this only worried her more. "..Is something the matter?" More silence and Terra averted his gaze. Aqua took note of his change in demeanour and stepped forward, changing the subject.  
"I came to look for you so we could go and congratulate Ventus. He just won his first assessment, didn't you watch it?" She tilted her head, her suspicions only worsening when Terra started moving again and brushed past her.

"I'll see him later." He murmured elusively, not giving his friend the time to answer before he was out of sight, lost in the crowds by the bleachers. Aqua sighed. The Western team had spotted the encounter by now and were whooping and mocking out to her, so she thought it best to be on her way and avoid them before they started to cause trouble.

-o-

Ventus stayed put on the platform, behind Xehanort, and waited as the names of the next two Struggle contenders were called out.

"Go on, Demyx.." He whispered under his breath as his Southern friend ambled onto the centre field towards the platform. He would win this for sure, Ventus had no doubts of that. What he _was_ scared of, however, was the safety of the Junior's opponent.

The opponent was a freshman, and that much was clear by the size of him. He had taken his shoes off to fight bare foot, which was a technique favoured by few and had a thick and tangled mop of curly, brunet hair. His face was also a little dirty, as if he had already _had_ a Struggle battle that day and wasn't given the chance to wash. Ventus had tuned in enough to hear that this boy's name was Denzel, and that he looked terrified.

Both Denzel and Demyx made their way up to the podium and picked their weapons under the same rules the Strugglers before them had faced. Denzel made the same mistake many of the freshmen did, Ven noticed, and went for _Strength_ despite Demyx choosing _Speed_ first.  
The sophomore bit his lip as they got into position and kept his eyes on the small boy gripping the Hammer. Demyx was usually pretty easy-going and Ventus could only hope he would go easy on Denzel and just do as much as he needed to pin him, not _kill _him.

He also noticed, during all this, that neither Terra nor Aqua had come to congratulate him and he thought they would've been the first. They were always encouraging him to try his hardest and sometimes – like earlier that morning, before they got to the running tracks – would bend the truth and make Ventus out to be some sort of _decent Struggler, _which he knew he wasn't. They simply did that to raise his spirits but to him, it had the opposite effect.  
Still, he would've liked them to have seen him fight. He did _win_ after all, even if it was sort of given to him. But Terra was nowhere to be found, and hadn't been since he left to walk with Demyx before..

It was barely half a minute into the match before Ventus felt his body being shoved lightly to one side and he blinked out of his stare to see Xehanort glaring down at him.

"Move, boy. I want a word with you regarding your assessment battle." His voice was low, quiet, not wanting to be heard by the other teaching staff on the platform. Ventus turned and quickly descended the platform and waited to walk behind the man, his head low and dreading his third encounter with the Coach that day.

They moved behind a small wall leading on to a cut-off and shaded section of the field that had been segregated off for these assessment days for equipment storing. As soon as they were out of sight, Xehanort rounded on the boy as his large hand struck out, connecting with Ventus' left shoulder and effectively holding him to the cold wall.

"The _Bat?" _He demanded, getting straight to his point. Ventus slouched over the pressure to the already-bruised skin and winced painfully. "Do you have any idea how much of a _fool_ you made me look out there? Have I taught you nothing?" His voice was harsh and smarting, whispering but somehow loud enough to fill the air at the same time. "If I knew you were going to waste my time like this, I would have left you for dead all those years ago and never have looked back. You're worthless. You showed yourself up today, and _me._ I am disappointed in you, Ventus." His words cut through the blond like a knife, dripping with venom.

"I'm.. sorry, I.. I got scared, I-"

"_Scared?_" Xehanort's eyes flashed and he used an almost mocking tone, his glare boring a hole into the boy's skull. "You were _scared? _Even after I _told_ you what would happen if you didn't show improvement – that didn't make you _more_ scared?" Ventus remained silent, his head still tilted down until the fist digging into his shoulder shot up to knock his chin upwards, forcing him to look at the elder's copper glare, his own eyes shimmering.  
"If that's the case, I'll have to put a little more effort in to making sure I'm the only one you're ever afraid of, won't I?" Xehanort's wrinkled lips pinned up into an evil smirk and he backed away from the boy and made his leave.  
The whole thing had taken a little more than three minutes and yet it was enough to shatter Ventus' confidence and self-worth more. All pride or happiness caused by his 'win' fell to his feet and he felt hurt and insignificant and empty.

'_Why does it hurt more and more each time you say it..'_

_-o-_

Denzel grunted as he held the metal sheet of the Hammer in front of him for some form of defence from Demyx attacks. After six half-hearted strikes, Demyx jumped backwards and lowered his Bat to talk.

"Look, kid, I don't want to hurt you, but you _gotta _move at some point, man." He smirked jokingly, trying to let the other know he wasn't all bad. Denzel frowned up at him, noticeably absent-minded and didn't even seem to hear the other's words. He glanced to the side and blinked, losing his frown and lowering his weapon; spotting a familiar figure that seemed more important to him than this fight.  
Before Demyx had the chance to swipe at the opportunity, however, Denzel had discarded his weapon, turned on his heels and fled the field.

A loud ringing sound the moment the brunet stepped onto the surrounding running track and the End-of-Struggle clangour sounded. Demyx had won by default. He felt a strange mix of disappointment and relief at the feeling; happy that he didn't have to harm Denzel, who barely looked old enough to be _in _these matches in the first place, but at the same time… he didn't actually get to fight.

-o-

"Ventus?"

Ventus' eyes shot up to meet the owner of the voice. For the second time that day, Aqua stood in front of a friend, concerned. The blond had slid down the wall into a sitting position and was hugging his legs and when they shared eye contact, Aqua knew why.

"…Ven.." She lowered herself to her knees beside the boy and slowly reached out to caress his damp cheek, as if dealing with a delicate dove who would flap his wings and fly at any sudden movement. "What happened? Why are you crying?" The sophomore lowered his head and wiped his eyes, forcing himself to gain some kind of composure before smiling up at the Junior and shaking his head.

"It.. It's nothing, Aqua. I just hurt my leg is all." He looked down to his ankle which was starting to swell under his black track pants and the Junior winced a little.

"Oh, Ven… can you stand at all?" She asked fearfully whilst standing and holding her hand out to the blond who took it with a nod and pulled himself up. The blunette could tell the smile was false; she had known the younger for enough years to know when he was lying.  
"Come on," She pleaded as she helped him back into the main field, hidden behind the platform. "If you smile I'll give you a ride home so you don't have to stay until Xehanort goes, sound good?" She knew that Ventus lived with Xehanort and also knew never to speak of that around the boy if it could be helped. It didn't take a genius to see the nerves or change in behaviour he adopted whenever the Master was near. Clearly, the two didn't completely get along; Ventus still missed his parents.

The sophomore seemed to brighten at the prospect of getting a ride home and nodded, giving his eyes one last wipe. Aqua smiled back and gestured over to the nearest set of bleachers that had a few empty seats and guided Ventus over.

"Now stay here and watch Demyx's Struggle, and I'll see if I can get someone to look at your ankle. It looks like a pretty light sprain but I'd feel better if we got it checked out, regardless." She left soon after settling him down and broke out into a jog, bypassing the West Island's team as best she could. Ventus ignored the feeling of being babied and looked around, subtly, with a slightly lowered head. No Xehanort… it was safe to sit here.

The bellowing sound of the End-of-Struggle buzzer made Ventus jump out of his skin and shook whatever thoughts he had straight out of his head. How could it already be over? Was he really not paying attention that much?  
He observed the area and saw Denzel fleeing from the centre field, and Ventus' curiosity immediately crept over him.

Denzel swooped down to collect his shoes as he ran over to the other end of the field from Ventus; the gateway, where all four teams had entered.  
The blond looked around briefly for any signs of Aqua, or anybody else who would try to stop him, and tried to suppress his limping as he followed, intent of trying to help if something was bothering the freshmen. What exactly had caused him to forfeit his win so easily?

-o-

Denzel tore round a corner and paused to looked around before spotting a familiar, slightly younger looking girl and shook his head, approaching her.

"Hey, I told you not to follow me here. You don't have shoes and your feet are already…" he trailed off as the girl frowned at him. Her pigtails were high on her head and her clothes were tattered and ripped. Like Denzel, she wore no shoes but this was clearly a usual occurrence, as her feet and legs were caked in a thick layer of filth from the streets. Denzel only shrugged and rolled his eyes, crouching to place his shoes on the ground, facing her. "Here… you can wear them for a while, but I need them later, so don't ruin them."

The girl didn't smile, just nodded and slowly slid the shoes on before reaching out to take the other's hand. Under her left arm, she possessed a faded and dirty Moogle plush which had lost half an arm and both eyes. Its stitching seemed to be coming loose along the belly of the creature but it held together as she tugged Denzel without a word along the wall they were hidden behind and back along the field. They appeared behind the bleachers and it was clear to Denzel what the girl was after.

She didn't talk the whole time, but opened her mouth once something had caught her eye and smiled back at him, pointing to an ominous-looking group of three silver-haired Strugglers, but more importantly, their _bags._ Denzel wrinkled his nose a little and shuffled his weight from one leg to the other uncomfortably.

"I don't know…they look kinda scary, if they find us they might eat us." Shock flashed across her face which quickly turned into an annoyed frown as Denzel laughed at the expression, and she pushed him. He giggled and shrugged with a whispered "_Alright_" and motioned for her to stay put as he slowly crept over.

Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz were too busy arguing over the events of the day, and Ventus' 'win' to notice one of the team's backpacks being stolen from a small gap in between two seat stands. Denzel slipped in and back out again expertly and slung the backpack over his own shoulders before rounding on his female companion, and the two made a run for it down the grassy court until they could find a way out.

Ventus wandered into plain view, the centre of the gateway exit and looked around, clueless, wondering where Denzel had run off to. When he spotted the two youngsters heading towards him, he only recognised the curly haired freshman and held his palms up, pleading with them to stop.

"Whoa, whoa, not so fast… Denzel, right?" He glanced down worriedly at the two, who both seemed to be out of breath and Denzel was still holding the couple-sizes-too-big-for-him backpack. He looked to the girl, nervously, then back up at Ventus.

"Y...yes?" Ven smiled.

"I'm Ventus! But you can call me Ven. I...saw you run out of your Struggle and came to see if anything was wrong."

It wasn't long before Loz grew tired of the arguing and left it up to his brothers after being mocked. He felt like crying but knew he'd get teased even further by both his siblings _and_ the rest of the Western team if he did so. So he simply went to find his bag and eat.  
After searching all over the ground, the bleachers, the neighbouring benches and forcibly accusing several random onlookers of stealing his backpack, he turned and spotted a crevice in between two stands where something could have easily fallen down. He stepped through and looked around, his left side meeting a wall of scaffolding – nothing could've gotten there – and his right side paralleling a long wall with three figures stood at the other end. His eyes narrowed and he soon spotted a familiar dark-coloured backpack resting against some pint-sized thief's back.  
'_You little..'_

_-o-_

By now, Ventus had bent down to the two other's level and reached out to place one hand on Denzel's shoulder with a reassuring smile. The young girl only watched and tugged on her friend's hand, reminding him they had to go silently, but Denzel didn't seem to notice.

"Is it because you got nervous?" Ventus smiled somewhat flippantly and shrugged. "This is my first Struggle Tournament too. Xehanort's pretty tough but I knew I was too scared to try it last year when I was still a freshman, like you. Just go for it and you'll start to be more confident in your skills. Trust me, alright?" He offered a kind smile and Denzel returned it, unsure why; Ventus just seemed like someone he could trust, even if he had gotten the reason he had run away from his fight completely wrong.

By now, Loz had jogged the length of the wall and was a mere few metres away behind the two children before he called out, a low, out-of-breath grunt escaping through his words.

"Hey! You stole my backpack!" Denzel turned and stepped back and tugged the brunet girl by his side, too. Ventus could see they were both terrified, and now knew why that bag looked so big on him. Loz stepped forward and fisted the front of Denzel's shirt and all four present heard a rip as his own threadbare clothing ripped a tiny bit more at the strain. "How would you like it if I ran around stealing _your_ stuff, huh, you little rat?"

Ventus frowned and that and stepped forward, pulling Denzel from the irate silverette's grip and pushing both of the youngsters behind him.

"Hey, back off, it's not their fault if you leave your stuff lying around everywhere." Loz eyed the blond before smirking and taking a step closer.

"You're that _scrawny lightweight_ from before, aren't you? The one my brother _gave_ his win to." His words bubbled into a mocking laughter and Ventus stepped back again, arms fanned out slightly to keep the two children behind him protected.

"S-So what if I am.." He countered defensively. Loz shrugged and his grin deepened, stepping forward more and effectively filtering Ventus and the children out into the open gateway leading out into the field, and right into a certain auric-coloured eye-line.

"Oh… so you admit that you're a waste of time. I bet your Master finds it hard to give you the time of day." He laughed again.

Ventus backed away more, caring more about keeping the two behind him safe from Loz who was tall, strong and angry-looking. The Senior in question seemed to get angrier and angrier with every step he had to take forward until Denzel's back hit against a wall and they couldn't move away anymore. Loz had them cornered and he knew that, Ven could tell by the way his grin grew.

"Well, well, well.." He started, taking in a deep breath before raising an eyebrow and leaning forward to Ventus' level. "Looks like the pacifist can't run away any more. How 'bout that."

He flashed his teeth in a grin and stood straight, pulling his fist back and lunging. Ventus squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact but… never felt it.

The sound of Loz's footsteps had seized and the first thing the blond saw when he dared to open his eyes was "**SOUTHERN STUGGLE COMBAT**" imprinted in crimson, embedded into the back of a black track jacket. His eyes trailed up to meet a mass raven hair, just as unruly as his own, and Loz's shock-evident stare.

"Well, well, well.." An unfamiliar voice sounded. One Ventus hadn't heard in a long time. "Looks like the comedy relief of the West Island can't throw a decent punch anymore." Ventus could almost feel the ravenette's smirk and Loz just glared, gritting his teeth in a brief moment of silence. ".. How 'bout that."

Vanitas thrust a hand forward, letting go of Loz's fist and causing the silverette to lose his balance slightly. Denzel and his pigtailed friend took the opportunity to flee out from behind Ventus whilst they could and chased each other into the main school building. Loz stumbled back and growled, glaring down at the two.

"Wh…Whatever, I'm not down for playing these games with you, you're that _Freak _everyone tells me about." He shot Vanitas a look, then over the Junior's shoulder at Ventus before turning and hurrying away back to his team, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Moments passed and Vanitas didn't turn around to look at the blond. Ventus only stared, unsure of how.. _why_ he was even _there. _Had Vanitas really just protected him?

"..You're.." He started but the words wouldn't come. He stayed behind the other in a stunned silence, staring up at him with wide eyes pleading for answers to so many questions. Vanitas just took in a deep breath and silence befell, isolating the two from everything around them; save for the vague sounds of the crowds and the battles and the sea.

* * *

**A/N: WHEW *-* big chapter! **

**Not much to say about this one OTHER THAN I know I haven't given Moogle Girl a name yet and there's good reason for that which will be announced later on! **

**Also, I'm not too happy with the way I write battles/action-y-type scenes, so hopefully I'll get better at those with practise and be/lieve/ me, there's a lot of action planned out in this story :I**

**Really hope you liked this one guys! Now I'm hoping since Vani and Ven will properly meet, it gets more interesting~! Stay tuned and PLEASE, /PLEASE/ review! **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


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